Playoff Bracket - Week 9 Edition

[TypicalTribe]

Chattanooga at McNeese State winner at #1 North Dakota State
Missouri State at Montana winner at #8 Southeastern Louisiana

NW State at Montana State winner at #4 Illinois State
Bryant at South Dakota State winner at #5 Eastern Washington

Jacksonville at Bethune-Cookman winner at #6 Jacksonville State
Indiana State at Eastern Kentucky winner at #3. New Hampshire

Richmond at Southern Illinois winner at #7 Coastal Carolina
Fordham at Youngstown State winner at #2 Villanova


My aim was to avoid any 2nd round conference games at all. Other goal was to keep the brackets as balanced as possible. Only outlier game was Jacksonville at Bethune which seems like a no-brainer for the committee. Lastly, I put NDSU/ISU at #1/#4 and Nova/UNH at #2/#3 to set up semifinals between conference foes that didn't play in the regular season.

[BisonBacker]

Chattanooga at McNeese State winner at #1 North Dakota State
Missouri State at Montana winner at #8 Southeastern Louisiana

NW State at Montana State winner at #4 Illinois State
Bryant at South Dakota State winner at #5 Eastern Washington

Jacksonville at Bethune-Cookman winner at #6 Jacksonville State
Indiana State at Eastern Kentucky winner at #3. New Hampshire

Richmond at Southern Illinois winner at #7 Coastal Carolina
Fordham at Youngstown State winner at #2 Villanova


My aim was to avoid any 2nd round conference games at all. Other goal was to keep the brackets as balanced as possible. Only outlier game was Jacksonville at Bethune which seems like a no-brainer for the committee. Lastly, I put NDSU/ISU at #1/#4 and Nova/UNH at #2/#3 to set up semifinals between conference foes that didn't play in the regular season.


No way 7 MFVC teams get into the playoffs. Not saying I don't think they deserve to (lots of season left to play also) but Patty V hasn't done squat going to bat for the MVFC so even if they deserve it I just don't see it happening. Maybe 4 and that's a stretch.

[MTfan4life]

Fordham vs. NEC champ, imo, is just as likely as Jacksonville vs. Bethune. Colgate/Wagner and Fordham/Sacred Heart the past two seasons and if they don't play each other, they'll face a CAA foe. Stony Brook being a recent exception, but geographically they were a CAA/NEC team.

[melloware13]

My current take:
William & Mary @ Montana State
@ 1. North Dakota State

Jacksonville @ Bethune-Cookman
@ 8. Southeastern Louisiana

Chattanooga @ Richmond
@ 4. Coastal Carolina

Youngstown State @ Fordham
@ 5. New Hampshire

Bryant @ Montana
@ 2. Illinois State

Indiana State @ McNeese State
@ 7. Jacksonville State

Southern Illinois @ Eastern Kentucky
@ 3. Villanova

Sacred Heart @ South Dakota State
@ 6. Eastern Washington

[blackbeard]

My current take:
William & Mary @ Montana State
@ 1. North Dakota State

Jacksonville @ Bethune-Cookman
@ 8. Southeastern Louisiana

Chattanooga @ Richmond
@ 4. Coastal Carolina

Youngstown State @ Fordham
@ 5. New Hampshire

Bryant @ Montana
@ 2. Illinois State

Indiana State @ McNeese State
@ 7. Jacksonville State

Southern Illinois @ Eastern Kentucky
@ 3. Villanova

Sacred Heart @ South Dakota State
@ 6. Eastern Washington

Going with the NEC getting an At Large? I like it! Not sure it will happen but I hope so.

[MSUDuo]

Missouri State. Hahahahaha

[frozennorth]

Does sdsu get a seed at 9-3?

[dewey]

Does sdsu get a seed at 9-3?

I would say a lot of it depends on how they do against NDSU and how other teams do. SDSU needs to be competitive against NDSU and keep the score within 14 or so.

Dewey

[superman7515]

My current take:
William & Mary @ Montana State
@ 1. North Dakota State

Jacksonville @ Bethune-Cookman
@ 8. Southeastern Louisiana

Chattanooga @ Richmond
@ 4. Coastal Carolina

Youngstown State @ Fordham
@ 5. New Hampshire

Bryant @ Montana
@ 2. Illinois State

Indiana State @ McNeese State
@ 7. Jacksonville State

Southern Illinois @ Eastern Kentucky
@ 3. Villanova

Sacred Heart @ South Dakota State
@ 6. Eastern Washington

Assuming your same opening round, I would just make the following tweaks due to the preference of NCAA for financial reasons to keep travel to a bare minimum in the opening round:

Bryant @ William & Mary (565 miles from Bryant to W&M vs 2511 from Bryant to Montana)
Youngstown State @ Montana (1944 miles from Youngstown State to Montana vs 2511 from Bryant to Montana)

South Dakota State @ Montana State (795 miles from SDSU to Montana St vs 1428 from Sacred Heart to SDSU)
Sacred Heart @ Fordham (50 miles from Sacred Heart to Fordham vs 1428 from Sacred Heart to SDSU)

Indiana State @ Eastern Kentucky (286 miles from Indiana State to Eastern Kentucky vs 900 miles from Indiana State to McNeese State)
Southern Illinois @ McNeese State (722 miles from Southern Illinois to McNeese vs 900 miles from Indiana State to McNeese State)

Jacksonville @ Bethune-Cookman
Chattanooga @ Richmond

[WileECoyote06]

Eastern Kentucky/Chattanooga @ 1. NDSU
Western Carolina/William & Mary @ 8. Jacksonville State
South Dakota St./Montana @ 4. Illinois State
Jacksonville/Bethune-Cookman @ 5. Coastal Carolina
Southern Illinois/McNeese St. @ 2. E. Washington
Youngstown St./Montana St. @ 7. SE Louisiana
Richmond/Liberty @ 3. Villanova
Bryant/Fordham @ 6. New Hampshire

MVFC 5; CAA 4; Big Sky 3; Big South 2; SoCon 2; Southland 2; OVC 2; NEC 1; MEAC 1; Patriot 1; Pioneer 1

First Four out: Northwestern State, Sacred Heart, Bucknell, North Carolina A&T

[JayJ79]

Assuming your same opening round, I would just make the following tweaks due to the preference of NCAA for financial reasons to keep travel to a bare minimum in the opening round:

if the travel is longer than 400 miles, the NCAA has to pay for air travel instead of bus. So they do try to get as many <400 matchups (and/or likely <400 second round matchups) as they can. But I'm not sure they really go out of their way once it is above that threshhold (500 mile trip vs. 1000 mile trip or whatever).

[Sycamore62]

I've found that when I'm trying to guess what the NCAA will do is to ask myself "what would make us the most money". I imagine them collectively as a morbidly obese bald man with an eye patch and a large half smoked cigar with a pinky ring stroking a cat in his(their) huge penthouse office overlooking a horribly rundown city where it is always after dark.


edit: or the bad guy from Lethal Weapon 2

[superman7515]

if the travel is longer than 400 miles, the NCAA has to pay for air travel instead of bus. So they do try to get as many <400 matchups (and/or likely <400 second round matchups) as they can. But I'm not sure they really go out of their way once it is above that threshhold (500 mile trip vs. 1000 mile trip or whatever).

Yeah, I was thinking the same way, but once you had to move Indiana State to Eastern Kentucky (286 mile bus trip vs 900 mile flight to McNeese) and Sacred Heart (50 mile bus trip vs 1428 mile flight) the others just kind of shuffled around. For example, securing a flight from Bryant (Providence) to William & Mary (Newport News/Williamsburg) is definitely cheaper than a flight from Providence to Missoula. While it's still paying for a flight, it's 2000 miles shorter. I can't imagine the NCAA ignoring that great of a distance if they don't have to.

[McNeese75]

My current take:
William & Mary @ Montana State
@ 1. North Dakota State

Jacksonville @ Bethune-Cookman
@ 8. Southeastern Louisiana

Chattanooga @ Richmond
@ 4. Coastal Carolina

Youngstown State @ Fordham
@ 5. New Hampshire

Bryant @ Montana
@ 2. Illinois State

Indiana State @ McNeese State
@ 7. Jacksonville State

Southern Illinois @ Eastern Kentucky
@ 3. Villanova

Sacred Heart @ South Dakota State
@ 6. Eastern Washington

I like this one a LOT more than the OP xthumbsupx

[bostonspider]

If Richmond wins out, though not likely with Strauss done, would they be seeded? 10-2 losses to to UVA and UNH, wins over VU, JMU, W&M..

[jmufan999]

If Richmond wins out, though not likely with Strauss done, would they be seeded? 10-2 losses to to UVA and UNH, wins over VU, JMU, W&M..

no question you'd be seeded if that were to happen.